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I wanna talk about Lew Wolff

Oh I know, the Raiders are on Monday Night Football for the first time in years, and the Warriors are on a 30 assist/50% from the field streak for the first time since those 90’s Bulls, and the Sharks are middling. But…

I wanna talk about Lew Wolff. But really I want to talk about the Coliseum. I know it’s really called “O.co,” but who really refers to that dump as “O.co”? It sounds like a poor re-branding effort using an uninspired name suggested by a marketing intern.* It’s the Coliseum, and always will be, even if we finally get a new ballpark in a new location that’s not where the Coliseum is.

*No offense to marketing. Or interns. Or marketing interns. But really, whomever came up with that name should probably bring their “creative” talents elsewhere.

But the Coliseum, you see, was built in 1966, and literally has not changed since then. I mean, literally, has not changed. From the exterior to the interior to the sewage problems (!!!). My parents have season tickets (they’re part of the last 500 A’s fans who actually show up to games), and they once (or twice or every time) said the hot dog buns were stale. STALE. STALE HOT DOG BUNS. I don’t think the hot dog buns have changed since the 60s either.

I will give him some credit — he didn’t build this monstrosity, and he did help bring this gift to the venue. And he sorta, kinda tried with the project in Fremont/San Jose before the Giants c*blocked him. And the city of Oakland isn’t making things easy on him or his football counterpart. But Lew Wolff couldn’t have possibly expected fans to continue to come to games when the team are bottom-feeders and the ballpark experience is non-existent. Any 5th grader can tell you the answer to the equation: crappy team + crappy stadium = no fans/no $$$ return.

As we all know, at least Mark Davis is making strides towards getting the Raiders a new stadium. This has been in the works for a while, and we know that Mark does care about the team. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that I’ll be in Vegas 8 times a year, at least.

Lew Wolff never cared about the A’s.

Look, I get it. With teams who have deep pockets like the Yankees and the Dodgers and the Cubs, it can be hard to stay competitive. Losing players is something that A’s fans have been used to for a while, and I’m bracing myself for the day when Billy Beane pulls the trigger and trades off Sonny to the Braves.*

*This will officially be the second saddest day of my life — after November 8, 2016.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t work to make the in-stadium experience fun for the fans and non-fans, the people who actually pay money to see this team stay around.

So here’s hoping Fisher and Kaval aren’t Lew Wolff 2.0, and make the Coliseum and the team, less embarassing.

And peace out Lew Wolff. A’s fans will not miss you or your stale hot dog buns at all.